THIS is the stunning photo of a weasel riding on the back of a green woodpecker as it flies through the air.

Amateur photographer Martin Le-May took it at Hornchurch Country Park in east London on Monday afternoon, and it has since been retweeted more than 10,000 times.

Mr Le-May said he was "proud" that so many people had seen his picture and defended it against accusations it was not real.

He told the BBC: "I'm totally taken aback by the response to it."

Wildlife expert Lucy Cooke said: "This is a truly extraordinary image.

"The green woodpecker is a ground-feeding bird, but weasels normally attack rabbits. The woodpecker is not its usual prey.

"But weasels are fearless. A female weasel weighs less than a Mars Bar but is as ferocious as a lion, so this is why the woodpecker would have been able to take off with it on its back."